Just Hey
by ChicagoSinger
Summary: That night came to mind and I groaned. Why had I not stuck to my promise of just talking? What was I going to tell him? How was I going to tell him? The couch, not bed. I looked down at my stomach again, then at my feet. It had just been that one night...
1. Who I Am

A warm, wet touch on my cheek.

This is my first memory. It isn't very clear, rather fuzzy and faint. But sometimes, if I think and try hard enough, I can still feel that pressure.

My next memory is clearer. It's my first image. A beautiful, yet tired young woman with dirty-blonde curls and ocean blue eyes: My mother.

That warm, wet pressure was her blood-caked fingers brushing my cheek in a sign of affection. My mother was so beautiful, and it made me sad that I never got to know her. She died as soon as she touched my cheek. In fact, that's my third memory. My mother's deep eyes rolled back in her head and she fell backwards.

The next thing I remember is someone picking me up, holding me close. It's a man, and his face is full of absolute wonder, awe. He has burgundy eyes, and a lovely face. Dark brown hair frames his face. This is my father.

Dad told me that my blue-eyed mother was named Indie, and he hadn't even meant to get her pregnant. He didn't even love my mother, he said. He said that when I was born, it was different, though. He said as soon as he saw his human green eyes copied onto my face, he lost his mind. I have my mother's short, big, dirty-blonde curls. I stopped aging at age eighteen.

I stalked through the woods around the castle, thinking about Indie. I wished I had the chance to know her, to learn my mother. I wished that my parents had time to fall in love. I just knew Dad would love Indie if she had lived through birth. I felt guilty that I killed my mother, especially when she loved me so. I had a cat named after her, anyway. Dad had gotten her for me on my eighteenth birthday, nine months ago. Indie was a ginger colored short-hair.

I was holding her as I walked through the dark trees. I took a seat on a cool, smooth boulder, sighing. I looked up at the sky, scratching Indie behind her ears. She purred and I cupped her little head. I kissed her nose.

The moon was shining brightly, and the stars twinkled as if they had a secret. I did. My whole life was one. Dad knew, of course, and I knew. No one else knew about my existence. There was the occasional pal, but usually I had to say goodbye to them before they noticed I was aging at hyper-speed. I was really close to this one boy named Marshall, but he was thirteen and when I had to leave him behind, I looked as if I was already sixteen. Or at least, I could have passed for sixteen.

Indie craned her neck up and demanded attention. I gave her what she desired and kissed the cups of her ears, stroking her back.

"Oh, Indie," I said in my soft, grown voice. "It seems like you may be the only friend I won't have to say goodbye to after only a few months."

Just then, I heard footsteps coming my way. Dad. Of course, he would have heard my steps before I heard his because he was a full vampire, while I was only a halfa. I whirled around and was staring at Dad's chest. Dad was huge, the biggest person I had ever seen. He was almost seven feet tall! I was tall, too, 5'10, but not like Dad. Dad picked me up in a hug and spun me around like when I was a child, which wasn't too long ago. He set me on the ground, and Indie ran off, peeved. She always came back.

"Hey, Daddy," I said. Dad ruffled my hair.

"Hey, Haleigh," he said.

Yep. That's my name. Haleigh. Dad said he named me that because that was all he knew. I tried to get him to let me spell it like Haley or Hayley, but he said that Haleigh was the Italyan way to spell it. I had since grown used to it, even fond of it, suggesting my heritage.

"How was your day today, Dad?" I asked.

"Well, today I was told that I will be going off as soon as possible," Dad said.

"You. What?" I asked, surprised. "But, Dad! You just got back from your last deal. What happened now?"

Dad pushed his hair back.

"I know, Haleigh. I'm sorry about this, really, I am. But this time, it is important. A vampire's coven mate came in today. She said that her creator, a man named Cyrus, lost his mate to a lone vampire. He's gone insane, and must be taken care off at once."

I felt my green eyes fill with tears, but I held them back and bit my lip.

"Can't I come with you this time?" I asked, my voice the slightest bit shaky. "Just this one time?"

"No!" Dad said back feverishly. "Not this time, honey."

"Who else is coming with you?"

"Demetri and Alec."

"So? Who cares if two people know about me? I could use some friends that I can hang onto."

Dad ignored my pleading.

"I'm sorry, Haleigh. If even one person knows about you, who knows how many else will find out eventually? I know you want a friend, but you have Indie."

"I know, Dad, and she's the best. I've always wanted a pet, and I'm very grateful, but I need a _real_ friend. I'm part human, aren't I?"

I immediately knew that that had been the wrong thing to say. Dad looked at my forearm, where I had a little scar. Why wouldn't he point that out? He meant to remind me that, even though I wasn't as fragile as a human, I was still vulnerable.

I sighed, remembering how I had gotten the scar. Contrary to popular belief, we hybrids _could_ scar. It took a lot more than for a human to scar, but still Dad wouldn't let me forget.

My friend, Marshall, and I had been messing around in the streets, in the alleys. We were hopping around on the trash cans, just being stupid kids. Marshall jumped into a murky, nasty, brown puddle and the sick water splashed all over me. I yelped and made a disgusted face.

Then he called me a girl.

I got really annoyed at that. I was just as tough as anyone, even tougher than a mere human boy, for sure! And I wasn't going to let some rancid water and him make me look weak.

So I tried jumping into the puddle, purposely tricking up my footwork to topple the can over after me. Only, a big black, alley cat was inside of it, and it jumped out, furious. He went right for my friend, and I reached out to grab it, knowing it couldn't hurt me, but it couldn't have defiantly done some damage to Marshall. The cat whipped its anger onto me and my first, protective instinct was to bite. So I did. But I missed biting the thing's tail and my teeth sank into my own pink flesh. It hurt like Hell! It even drew blood.

The mark clotted and healed within seconds, but I had tasted my own blood. It was much thicker and hotter than human, and it was nasty! It tasted like rusty, salty dirt. It wasn't like the stuff Dad gave to me. I wondered if that was what human blood tasted like to the humans.

I shook my head, my mom's curls bouncing, trying to forget the taste.

"Dad, I'll just miss you," I said sadly. "Sometimes you leave for so long."

Dad wrapped his huge arms around me again, and this time, the hot tears came whether I wanted them to or not. I heard Indie padding her little way back to us. She wound herself through my legs, trying to comfort me, kitty-style. I pulled away from my father and bend down to pick her up.

"Look, Haleigh," he started, "this next mission is very important. I know you want to come and help, but just not this time."

"Next time?" I asked, daring to hope. Dad just looked at me, his expression was tired. I knew it was no use to fight with him about it. I just sagged my shoulders defeat. "Okay, Dad."

My voice is distant and tired. I patted Indie once more and put her on the ground. My dad is suddenly wearing a pained face.

"It doesn't seem fair, but I promise. Next time, I will really try to get a way for you to go, okay, Haleigh?"

"Good enough for me," I said, giving him one last hug. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you more, darling."

With that, Dad dodged away, and I was left alone again. But I was all too used to being alone.


	2. What Does It Mean?

You know the day is going to be janked when you wake up and the first thing you see is a swastika etched into the bark of the tree in front of you.

It sounds kind of cruel, but Dad usually had me trampse around the woods surrounding the castle and sleep there in the spring and summer. For the chillier months, I had a house right in town. Indie stayed there, most of the time, but I also took her around with me a lot. And since I'd stopped aging, it was easier to go out and not be afraid to interact with people. I wasn't particularly bubbly or extra-social (keeping a low profile was just second nature anymore), but I was friendly.

I passed next to a cart where a man named Luigi was teaching his son, Ferrari, how to roll out the dough for the mini-pizzas he sold. Those mini-pizza carts were like hotdog carts in New York City here in Itali. I smiled and strolled on over. I liked Luigi. He kind of looked like the Totino's guy, but so what? He was nice and funny. He had big, kind brown eyes and that twirling black mustache. He had unruly, thick black hair that he kept hidden by a hat almost everyday. His wife, Loretta, was coming out of their house, which was where they stood their stand outside from. Loretta's belly was huge, but that didn't slow her down at all.

"Ciao, Luigi," I greeted. Luigi smiled vigorously and gave me a large hug per usual. Ferrari just stared, his big hazel eyes clear. Ferrari had Loretta's eyes and Luigi's hair. Loretta waved me around the cart to give me another hug. She pulled away and then, placed a hand abruptly on her stomach.

"You shouldn't be lifting things, Loretta," I scolded. Loretta waved away my words. "When is this one due again?"

"Next week," Loretta replied in her strong voice. "A girl this time."

She ruffled her eight-year-old son's black hair affectionately. Ferrari kicked at the dust, sulkily.

"I want a brother," he muttered.

"What are you going to call her?" I asked. Loretta grinned.

"Fina," she replied. I sighed dreamily.

"That's very pretty."

I thought of my own. Haleigh Noel with no last name because both Dad and I didn't like Volturi for it. I didn't mind. Maybe if I ever got married or something I would take a last name, but I wasn't worried about that.

I bought a pizza and then walked around town, eating as I went. I had dropped by my house and left Indie there. The pizza was as good as any human food was. I still preferred blood to food any day, but as I said, I liked Luigi and his family, and it felt okay to buy from them. There wasn't too much going on in Volterra that day. I did find the lull a bit boring, but that was just how the days went sometimes.

That night, I just stayed at my house, because Dad had had to leave immediately, and it didn't make much sense for me to hang around the castle if he wasn't going to be there anyway. I brushed my teeth and curled up on the couch with my cat.

I flipped through the channels, but to no avail. I yawned and turned the T.V. off. I picked up Indie and we headed up the wooden steps to my bedroom. My room was nothing fancy, a window, a bed, two dressers, and a closet. It was all made of wood and that was decoration enough for me. I settled in under my peach-colored blanket and rested my head on my pillow.

I fell asleep thinking about my mother.

In my dream, I was sitting on a couch in the middle of the forest. Suddenly, the couch disintegrated under me and I fell to the ground with a thud. I heard something, a screaming noise. Suddenly, the trees around me got dark and it was like the sun had set lightning fast. I looked all around. Who was screaming?

The sound got louder and I covered my ears with my hands. I grimaced as the screams got louder still.

Then, all at once, they stopped. I jumped up and started to run. I was getting the hell out of there! I hadn't gotten very far when I fell into a clearing, right through an unusual copse of trees. The scene in front of me took my breath away.

Slender and pretty, my mother was lying, naked, in the middle of a huge bed with no sheets or blankets, only one measly pillow. She was smiling blissfully down at the naked bundle in her arms. What she held had the same dirty-blonde curls as she did, but they were matted and bloody. She was holding me. I stared on, shocked. Then my mother cast her eyes at me.

"Come see," she said, waving me over. I stood, absolutely astounded. Surely she hadn't meant me…

"Come here, Haleigh," she said. Her voice was magical and silky. Not silky like a vampire's, but her voice sounded like home. I forced myself to go forward. I sat down on the bed next to my mother. I stared with her at me. I was just opening my eyes. I gasped in shock and horror.

My eyes were blood red! They weren't my father's human green, but a vile, sinister scarlet. Suddenly, I looked at my mother, but she was dead. She had closed her deep blue eyes and fallen back into her pillow. Her chest wasn't moving with breaths anymore and her eyelids were a dark, dank purple.

"Mom!" I cried. "Don't leave me!"

But she was already gone. I stared at the child in her dead arms. I heard a noise and looked up. A tall, thin figure wearing a black cloak floated into the clearing with us. I sat, frozen, unable to do anything. I stared at the figure, not sure of it was a girl or a boy, or how old it was. It may have been taller than me, but I didn't know. The thing came up as close as if it were my own shadow and picked up my little newborn self. It turned to walk away without emotion. Suddenly, I found my voice.

"She belongs to my mother!" I screamed. The thing turned around and I saw a flash of its face, its scarlet eyes. Some of its, thick, shaggy black hair fell into its eyes and it turned away to leave.

Only, this thing wasn't an _it_. It was a _he_.

And his name was Marshall.


	3. Defense

"Mom!"

I woke up in a cold sweat, clammy, my hummingbird heart pounding. I was touching my chest with my hand. Indie, who had been sleeping beside my head, was up and alert now. I was sitting up right. I shook my head to clear it.

_Just a dream…Just a dream…_

I thought back to that cowled being. I thought about his face, how it looked eerily like my old friend. But that was impossible because Marshall had just turned fourteen that last time I had seen him, and he was human. The one in my nightmare had been older and a vampire. I thought deeply about that for a split second.

Marshall _was_ still human, wasn't he?

I shook my head and got out of bed abruptly. Of course Marshall was still human. The chances of that fact being changed were so slim, I didn't even doubt it. I walked over to one of my dressers and yanked out one of my swimsuits. I pulled out a flimsy cover-up as well. I changed quickly and was walking over to my closet, when something glinting in the moonbeams caught my eye. I looked over at the floor by my bed. Halfway hidden underneath a pillow I had knocked off in my thrashing, was a glimmering knife.

I frowned and walked over to it. I lifted the pillow and put it back on my bed, next to Indie. The lazy cat had already fallen back asleep. So much for my fierce protector…

I picked up the knife. It was nothing fancy, although the blade was especially cruel and curved. The handle was simply black. I looked closer at it and rediscovered my initials. I had scratched them in roughly with my fingernails when I got it. Dad had given to me when I was physically eleven or twelve. He had just wanted me to have something just in case. I set in gently down on the wooden night stand next to my bed and walked over to my closet.

I slipped on a simple pair of sandals and headed out. I locked my front door with my key and looked down the cobblestone road. The docks were so close that I could see them from my house. I smiled at the full moon, glistening down on the water. I started my walk down the road, feeling better already.

Then I heard this little crunch as if someone had stepped on a dead leaf. The only problem was that it was summer and the leaves were big, moist, and green. I shuddered but ignored it. I was a vampire-human hybrid. What could touch me? Don't answer that…

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark shadow move as fast as Dad could have through the trees. My heart fluttered and I suddenly wished I had brought that ganky knife. Then again, what would it have done to a vampire? No longer could I just ignore it, but I could be happily in denial and still pretend it was just a human playing some lame prank. I huffed out a sigh.

"I know somebody's there," I said to the silence. "And your dumb little joke is up, so do yourself a favor and just go home."

I waited for a moment or two and then carried on with my walk down to the pier. I didn't hear another sound as I made my way onto one of the longer docks. I looked around self-consciously and shrugged off my cover-up and slipped off my sandals. I dipped one of my feet into the water. To a human, it may have been a bit cold, but to me it was just fine. My body temperature _was_ almost 105 degrees Fahrenheit. I gently pushed my body off of the dock and into the water. I went under as soon as I was all the way in and tried not to think about what could have been waiting for me at the surface.

Of course, I knew how to fight. Dad had shown me some stuff, but I was still just a hybrid. When it came down to it, my style was so much more ebed and evade. I was flight, not fight. And I wasn't a fast talker, either, so I couldn't easily outsmart an attacker. Besides, what time would I have to explain that if I died, the Volturi (well, at least my dad) would avenge me in a fight? It was stupid just to think about it. It would just… never happen. At least, I hoped it wouldn't.

I propelled myself to the surface, took a deep breath, and then went back under. I kept my green eyes opened, making sure I could at least see something coming. My hearing was muffled under the water and it was freaky not being able to rely on that sense to give me any warnings. I slipped up again and came to the surface.

I thought about my nightmare.

My mother had looked exactly like she did in my first and only memory I had. And why had my once closest friend taken me from her dead arms? Why was he even in my dream? What purpose did it serve? I had no answers, so I just sighed, closed my eyes and ducked back under. I didn't open my eyes as I swam on.

I wondered about what I was going to do next. I already missed my father, and I wanted him to come home fast. I mean, with that creepy thing that I had heard and seen in the trees earlier, I needed my daddy. How was I supposed to handle this on my own when I had no clue what I was up against?

I came back up for a breath. Unlike humans, who could only hold their breath for the most of two minuets, my record was just barley shy of five.

_"Haleigh."_

My pale green eyes flew open and I froze in the water. What was that? I hadn't even heard anyone come. The voice was low and raspy, and it was defiantly a guy's, maybe eighteen, nineteen. I looked around slowly, scared of what I would find. I knew as soon as I heard the voice that it was a vampire. I took another breath and put on a fearless face.

_You can handle this _I thought at myself, although I wasn't really sure. No. I was Felix Volturi's daughter. Of _course_ I could handle this. And even if I couldn't, Dad would make sure that whoever decided they wanted to mess with me wished that they were never born. It was a small relief. I closed my eyes and went back under.

I heard a dim splash way back at the edge of the dock. An icy fear zipped up my spine. I opened my eyes as fast as I could and swam like lightning to the bottom of the sea. I hit the bottom with my hands and then looked up. I crouched down, trying to curl into a little ball. It wasn't so easy, being underwater. I saw a lanky, tall shadow drifting through the tides above me. I couldn't make out what it really was or who it was because, well, it was dark and the moonbeams didn't reach so far down into the waters. Plus, I was pretty far down below, so that affected my vision of the figure, too.

It was pretty graceful from what I could see. Oh, yeh, this thing was a vampire for sure. I felt scared. What if it was thirsty? I was half-human, could it drink my blood? Oh, I was _not_ getting eaten! Not today, not today, not today! I would fight foe a lot of things, and my life, when I wasn't protecting someone else, was one of them. So come get me. I'm right here.

I realized that I had my head down and had closed my eyes again. Wow. Was I really that scared? No, just focused. Just focused…

_Set distraction, left jab, low jab, right jab, high jab, box the ears, and to top it all off, go for the throat._

I got ready to untie the top of my swimsuit. I would yank it off and throw it in my attackers face for my distraction. My mind went into that zone I got into when I was preparing to defend. I whipped my head up and opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was a pair of dead, scarlet eyes.

I forgot every part of my plan of defense.


	4. The New You

Those were newborn eyes.

Dad had taught me all about them.

My eyes drank in the image of his face. It was perfect, beautiful, framed by dark, ashy black hair. His hair seemed alive, quivering in the water. I went limp as I stared into his red, vampire eyes. How did that happen?

He curled his fingers slowly around each of my shoulders and pulled me a little closer to him. I could see my refection in his eyes.

My mouth was open slightly and my green eyes were wide. I looked very surprised, even in awe. He didn't look surprised to see me. His face was kind and happy. He kicked off the bottom of the sea and propelled us both upward; me still gripped in his pale hands.

What was he doing here? How could he be vampire? Did he even remember me? Well, I knew the answer to the last one. Of course he knew me, why else would he be so seemingly happy to find me? But who had created him? Where _was_ his creator? And… and how had he gotten so old?

He had been freshly turned fourteen the last time I had seen him, and that had been only a year and a half ago. Now he looked to be eighteen or nineteen. That made so little sense, it made my mind whirl. What was this whole mess even about?

We broke through the surface and I sucked in a sharp breath. I opened my mouth to begin the interrogation, but shut it, not knowing where to start. My mind was racing through all the questions I had.

_What are you? What are you doing here? Do you know what I am? How did you become like this? What the hell?_

"Haleigh," he sighed happily. He leaned in and kissed me softly. I yanked back, pushing myself away from him. I didn't want to kiss him! He… he was only fifteen! And my friend, not my _boy_friend. His face was hurt.

"You recognize me, don't you?" he asked. His voice was deeper than when he was younger, slightly husky. I grimaced at it. It made me realize hoe long I had gone without my friend, and how now it was too late.

"Yeh," I said shortly.

"It's me. Marshall."

"I know."

I swam back over to him, but still kept a distance between us. I freely admitted I was scared. Not of Marshall, but of what had happened to him. There was a crucial piece of this puzzle missing, and I still had to make a picture anyway.

"Marshall Zeal, you're a vampire?" I said finally, not thinking of anything else to say. Marshall laughed the sound silvery. I remembered his human laugh and sighed.

"Nifty, ain't it?" he replied, swimming in a slow circle around me. I turn as he does, making sure that he doesn't ever get behind my back. So this was my shadow follower?

"How did you get so old?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, stopping abruptly. I looked right into his eyes.

"You should be almost sixteen. You look like eighteen or nineteen. Why?"

"Well," he said nervously, "did I really tell you I was fourteen when we met?"

"Thirteen," I corrected him.

"Right. How long has it been? Maybe…"

"A year and a half."

I started getting suspicious, my mind slipping slowly back into its defensive measures.

"That long…" Marshall breathed. "Sorry. When I look back at all my human memories, all I can see is fuzzy faces and places. But I could never forget you, Haleigh. Anyway, a year and a half ago I told you I was thirteen?"

I nodded and waited for him to go on.

"I lied to you, and I'm sorry about that. But I thought that if you thought I was older, you… wouldn't want to be friends. I was a stupid kid. I _was_ eighteen. That is, until I stopped aging for good."

"Who did this to you?" I asked, looking him down again.

He shuddered.

"There was this woman named Juanita. She was from El Salvador. She was crazy, I swear! It wasn't that long ago… maybe eight months? She said she had fallen in love me as a human, but I wasn't so sure. She was insane, wouldn't let me out of her sight. I… I didn't know what to do! Until one day, I thought of your face. So I ran. I ran until I found you. It was about a week ago, around that castle.

"Is that where you live?"

I nodded at his question and he went on.

"I couldn't stand it, when I saw you sleeping, and I followed you. You are so gorgeous, Haleigh."

I laughed nervously, and looked away from Marshall.

"Lies," I said quietly.

"No way!"

Marshall swam towards me and lifted my face with an ice cold finger. I was forced to look at hid face, not sure if I wanted to. Something was still off, still wrong. I didn't have the time to think about it.

For the second time that night, Marshall pressed his lips to mine. I didn't pull away that time, though. His lips were much harder than mine and a whole hell of a lot colder, too. But what I was focused on was how it made me feel. I loved the feeling it gave me. I had never kissed a boy before. And Marshall was, for lack of a better term, hot. I pushed myself closer on him, but then an image flashed through my mind.

It was my dream again.

My mom, Indie, laying on that big bed in the middle of the woods, dead and still holding me. Then a tall, vampirized Marshall coming out of the trees and taking my newborn self with the red eyes away.

I pulled back and turned away from Marshall.

"What is it?" he asked, hurt once again coloring his voice. I groaned as I stared at the night sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star…

"Nothing," I said back. "I'm just tired."

I started swimming past him, to the dock. Marshall swam beside me and pulled himself easily up onto the dock while I used the latter. I put on my sandals and cover up. I hadn't brought a towel, so I just had to make-do with being wet. Marshall had jumped in fully clothed, so I guessed I wasn't the worst off.

"How about you come home with me, and we can talk?" I said, already walking. Marshall easily kept pace with me on the cobblestones. Marshall nodded eagerly. "Talk and nothing else. At all."

Marshall's features fell slightly. Jeez, what a boy!

"That's okay,' he said. "I'd love to talk with you. I've missed you like mad!"

"I've missed you, too," I said honestly. "I miss causing all kinds o trouble with you!"

We both laughed like we are kids again as we come up to my house. I got the key out from under the door mat and unlocked my door. I opened it up and we both walked in. I looked over at Marshall, but he wasn't looking at me. He was staring at my cat, who was standing visible at the top of the stairs.

"That's Indie," I said softly. "I named her after my mother."

"That's sweet. Where is she?"

"My _dead_ mother."

"Oh."

I guessed that was all he could think to say.

"It's okay. How about we sit on the couch and get to…?"

I didn't get the chance to finish because Marshall just picked me up like a bride and we landed on the couch, knocking it back a few yards. So much for the just talking…


	5. In The Kitchen?

Yeh, I wasn't lying when I said that the whole talking thing went right down the drain. We kinda did something more than talking. I was feeling actually pretty rotten when I woke up. The sun was just rising. What was Dad going to say? I didn't even know if I wanted to tell him. I got up groggily and saw that I was all alone. I smacked my forehead. Please, tell me I didn't just have a one night stand. And with my best friend! Wow, I was such a screw up.

I got up and padded up the steps to my room. I was still very tired. Like I said, we didn't do much talking last night. I didn't bother with any cloths. I slipped under the thick peach covers naked. Indie came up purring and curled up on my stomach. I stroked her head a couple of times and then fell into a dreamless sleep.

When I woke up for real the clock on my bed stand said that it was almost noon. I heard something downstairs. I sat up and noticed that Indie was gone. Then I heard footsteps coming up the steps. I reached under my pillow and grabbed that knife of mine and hid it behind my back. I pulled the covers up to cover my bear chest. I had one hand behind my back, clutching my knife and one hand holding my cover up. The door opened.

It was just Marshall. He was wearing the same cloths as we had been in the water last night.

"Oh, it's just you," I said, letting the blanket drop. I loosened my grip on the knife and then leaned over to set it on the bed stand. He eyed the knife thoughtfully. "I didn't know who it was."

"Oh, well it is just me," Marshall said gently. "I heard you waking up."

Marshall came over to me and sat down on the bed, swinging up his legs to lie next to me.

"You aren't going to leave?" I asked. Marshall looked at me, shocked.

"No," he said. "Why would I leave? Haleigh, I don't think you understand. I am in love with you. I fell in love with you…"

"Last night?" I interrupted. "On the couch, when you were…?"

I know it sounded cold, but I tried to make my voice seem nonchalant, as if I knew what was going on, as if I had done this a million times before. Which trust me, I haven't.

"No. A year and a half ago was when I knew I loved you."

"Marshall…"

He shut me up by kissing my along with a roll of his eyes. I pulled back, not finished making my point. Marshall totally took this the wrong way and was following me passionately. I shoved him away and sat back up.

"Enough of that," I said sternly. I slipped out of the bed and walked to my dresser. I didn't mind being naked in front of Marshall because it wasn't like he hadn't seen it before now. I put on some underwear and a bra. I didn't plan on going out so I just threw on some plain comfort cloths. I looked back at Marshall and frowned. I walked over to the window and looked outside.

The sun was shining loud and proud. I sighed in relief. I turned to look at my dark-haired… mmm, what was he to me now? Whatever he was, he still had black hair.

"You don't leave until no one can see you," I said, pointing at him. He grinned and me and raised his hands in front of him innocently. "Well, what would my neighbors think?"

"I wouldn't know," Marshall said back, "they were all asleep when I came home with you, last night."

"Oh, right," I said, my face flushing. Marshall laughed. I put my hands on my hips. "What?"

"Nothing. I didn't know hybrids could blush," he said. "In fact, I didn't even know they could be possible to exist."

I sat down on the bed.

"Then how do you know I am one?" I challenged. Marshall became serious.

"I kind of figured you out when I saw you for the first time with my vampire eyes. I just put two and two together. You were sleeping in around the Volturi castle. Why?"

"How do you know about the Volturi?" I asked, curbing his question.

"Juanita told me about them, of course. But why would you want to be around them? She made it seem like they were the bad guys."

"Well…"

I really had no defense for them. I half didn't like them myself, and they weren't my family. I mean, my dad was, but then that doesn't count because, he won't let me around them either. Sure, it was hypocritical, and I was so desperate for a permanent friend, maybe I could've forced myself to like one of them, but now that Marshall was around, he was all that mattered.

"Well, there is a guard named Felix…" I said slowly. Marshall gave me a shocked look.

"He isn't… I mean, you aren't…?"

"He's my father. My mother died giving birth to me. Her name was Indie. I named my cat after her."

Marshall stared at me sadly.

"I'm sorry she's dead."

"I am, too. I'm also sorry I was the one who killed her."

Marshall jumped up, pulling me with him. He stared at me, eyes wide and appalled.

"Haleigh! You couldn't help it! You were a baby, how could you have known? Don't be upset with yourself."

"It isn't that easy," I replied, trying to push him away from me. "Um, Marshall? Ouch."

"Oh, sorry," he said gently, releasing my arms. I dropped to the floor since he had lifted me off my feet. "I just don't want you to be anything less than blissful."

"Oh, thanks," I said awkwardly. "That's so thoughtful."

"I love you," Marshall said. His face was so full of love and adoration that I had to look away. I didn't want to be fussed over or babied. I wasn't that kind of chica.

"Right,' I said. I looked over at my window again. "I don't think we should say that to each other. I think it's a mistake."

"You think last night was a mistake?"

Marshall sounded utterly heart broken. He was really good at writing sob-stories and making them believable.

"No," I said extra slowly, not meeting his eyes. "I guess not… but I haven't seen you for years. I guess… we did this wrong. You're supposed to fall in love and _then_ procreate. We did this totally backward."

"You don't think you could fall in love with me?" Marshall asked, his eyes bemused. I smiled.

"No, I think I could. Easily. I just need to be convinced more. I just… yeh, yeh I could."

I laughed. I really wasn't good with words.

"I'm sorry. I'm not good at saying what I mean," I said.

"And yet, I understand you perfectly," Marshall smiled at me gently. He bent down and kissed me. "By the way, you should eat some breakfast. Want to make some in the kitchen together?"

For a second, I wasn't sure if I imagined a double meaning to his words. I shook my head. No way. In the kitchen?

We walked down the stairs together, my ginger cat trailing us.


	6. So Many Truths

I sat down in my beige recliner, rocking slowly, meticulously. I stared at nothing, not focusing. Indie purred from my lap as I kept petting her all the way across her warm back. It didn't seem like it, but my mind was buzzing.

Three days ago was the night. It came to mind and I groaned. Why had I not stuck to my promise of just talking? What was I going to tell him? How was I going to tell him? The couch, not bed. I looked down at my stomach again, where Indie was covering it up, then at my feet. It had just been that one night...

I was going insane! I felt like I was losing my mind! And maybe I was. I was a _hybrid_ for God's sake. Were there any past stories of my kind losing their sanity? I wouldn't know. Hell, there was no "my kind".

I patted Indie some more and looked out the window as the sun set. Marshall had been out, hunting in the nearby towns because Volterra was technically off-limits. I had been in the house all day, prancing around in my merry way, until I looked at my calendar, which was hanging by my fridge. I dropped the bottle of water I was holding.

I yanked the thing off the wall and stared at it. I read the date, once, twice, again and again. I got those things called periods, only they were very light and only lasted for a maximum of forty-eight hours. But every month, on the dot, all the same. But not this time. I should've started the day after Marshall and I had… talked on my couch. So why wasn't it here?

Still I couldn't have been pregnant. I mean, me, Haleigh the hybrid, pregnant? What was my father going to say? What was _Marshall_ going to say? Yet, I was also emotionally conflicted because I was scared, but also happy. My own little baby that I could love and raise… Like Loretta and Ferrari and, soon, Fina. But mostly, I was anxious and stressed. What if I didn't tell Marshall? Would that work?

The timer in the kitchen went off. I pushed my cat off of me and she stalked away, her hackles raised. I walked back upstairs after turning the timer off and went upstairs. I waked to the right of my room into my bathroom.

Sitting in a cup of water, was a little blue wand. I had bought the test as soon as I had realized that I was late.

I looked into the bathroom mirror, wondering if the thing would even work for a creature like me. I didn't want to pick it up, to see what it had to show me. I took in a few deep breaths and picked it up with my fingers shaking slightly. I forced myself to hold still and pick the thing.

"Now listen to yourself," I said to myself out loud. "No matter what this blue stick says, you are still Haleigh, and you still have Marshall. It will just now be Haleigh, Marshall, and kid.'

I felt a bit better and then looked down at the clear screen of the little blue wand. I sucked in a breath as I registered the results. Was it…?

Just then, I heard a door open up and cold arms wrap around my waist. I dropped the stick and gasped. Then I saw that it was just Marshall. I sighed in relief. I picked up the wand and tossed it in the trash can next to the toilet.

"What was that?" he asked curiously. I shook my head.

"Oh… nothing," I said cheerily. I decided I wasn't going to tell Marshall. I wasn't going to make such a big deal out of. Maybe I would tell him later, maybe not. No matter what I did, it wouldn't change anything, so what was the point?

"Ok," Marshall said, nuzzling my cheek with his nose and eyelashes. "If you aren't too busy, I would like to take you somewhere."

I turned to face him and laid my head on his slender chest. I nodded.

"I'm not," I said. "Let's go."

Marshall and I walked down the stairs, with his arm around my waist. I held his hand on my side. I dipped down and patted Indie's head before we strolled out the door. I needed to feed her when I got back. Her food was running low.

The moon was sparkling bright and white as we walked. Marshall took me to the back of my house. A wooden fence separated the alley behind it from the dense woods in the back. We easily hopped the fence and walked into the growth. The moonlight was slim and dull cutting just barley cutting through the thick foliage. But I could see everything perfectly, just like Marshall could.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, kissing his cheek. Marshall smiled down at me.

"You'll see," he said, "it's a surprise."

"Okay," I nodded. I wasn't fond of surprises, but as long I was with the man I was falling in love with, I could've gone anywhere, I was sure.

We came across a path about three or four miles out of Volterra. Marshall veered me to the left and we began walking down the path. Soon, the dirt path gave way to cobblestones and a certain scent hit me. I stopped short. Marshall stopped with me and looked down, polite and patient.

"What is it, Haleigh?" he asked.

"I… I smell something," I said, my voice low. I looked around, to my left then my right. "I don't think we should be here."

"I don't smell anything," Marshall said gently. "Let's keep going. What can touch us?"

I cautiously took Marshall's arm again, but we were walking slower now and I kept a lookout. I had more people to protect now than just myself.

Suddenly, we came to a black iron gate. It led into a cemetery, the source of the scent that I found… bad. I looked up at Marshall, but he wasn't looking at me. He produced a key from his pocket and unlocked the gate.

"A cemetery?" I asked, trying to make myself sound scoffing. "That is so stereotypical, don't you think?"

Even though I was trying to play it off as a joke, I was getting anxious. Marshall ignored me and we pressed on farther into the dreadful place. Why had he wanted to bring me here? What was at this place? I pushed back whatever creepy feelings were overtaking me and followed Marshall.

We got to the edge of the cemetery right by the gate.

"Close your eyes," Marshall said suddenly. I did what he said and he pulled me a bit closer.

"Now open them," he said, but his voice was dull and hard now. My eyes flew open and I looked in front of me.

I wished I had never opened my eyes.

The head stone in front of me said read:

Marshall Lee Zeal

Born: November 5th, 1996

Died: November 8th, 2009

I looked up at… who the hell was I looking at? His face was contorted into a mean, angry smirk. I stood up and jumped ten feet back from him. He didn't move to me. He was faster, but maybe I could outrun him if I really tried. Or maybe he wouldn't kill me. He knew I was Felix's daughter, he knew he would never get away with it. But then again… maybe he didn't even care.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice instinctively making itself fierce.

"You don't know me?" the guy sneered. I just glared at him. "My name is Page…"

Page, Page, Page…

I did know a Page. He was seventeen, last time I saw him at Marshall's birthday party in the town square. He was Marshall's older brother. Wait, that meant…

"What?"

My voice was barley a whisper, raspy and horrified. Page sneered again and made a step towards me. I immediately took a step back from him, my face going defensive again.

"That means you had sex with your best friend's older broth," he said. "Very wrong, in a way. Especially considering that he was your best friend. Well, I mean when he was alive. Do you know how he died?"

Page stepped around, coming closer to me, in a circle. I didn't take my eyes off of him, knowing as soon as I got distracted it could be my last move to regret.

"Well, do you?" Page growled.

"No," I snarled at him. Page's face went tragic.

"Well let me tell you. When he brought you around, I thought you were a cute kid. Sweet and unnaturally beautiful. I knew you'd be a real heartbreaker when you got older. But then you disappeared. You _said_ you had to move, but now I know better.

"My brother's body was found about a week after you said you left. It was drained of blood."

My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. Marshall being drained of blood only meant one thing.

"But… but hunting is illegal here in Volterra!" I countered. "The vampire who killed him…"

"I'm not done!" Page shouted furiously. "Don't interrupt me! As… I… was saying… I didn't understand, I didn't know. I was a mere human, how could I? This may surprise you, but the whole story about Juanita was true. She was a vampire from El Salvador, and she was in love with me and that's why she did what she did. The only thing I changed is that I killed her, not left her."

I gasped and Page chuckled darkly.

"Don't act so dramatic, Haleigh," Page said, rolling his red eyes. He imitated my face and gasp. A snarl ripped out of my chest, and my torso fell forward, preparing to crouch.

"I don't think you want to do that, Haleigh," Page said, his voice a seductive purr. "You can't beat a full vampire."

"I can beat a scrawny little newborn like you," I hissed back, even though I wasn't sure if I could. "And even if I can't, my father will make sure you burn."

Then I got an idea. It was so sudden, so _easy_ I was surprised. I was not a fast thinker, like I've said before. But my way out was so perfect, and all I had to do was sell it. First, Page had to make a move.

And he did. He took another step at me.

Suddenly, my face froze into a mask of shock. I clutched my stomach, and looked down at it. I let out a low whimper. Page made another step.

"Wait!" I shouted a bit too loudly, a bit too panicked. "Wait! I'm pregnant!"

Page's face went from a killer's to shock. He shook his head and looked angry again.

"You can't be!" he snapped. "We only had sex once!"

"And it was enough," I said fiercely. "I'm pregnant. With _your_ child. She's growing inside of me, and has been since that night."

Page stood there in deep thought for a long time. I waited, scared of what he would do next, for five minuets. Finally, Page looked up.

"You're sure?" he said.

"Yes. I was looking at the pregnancy test when you came into the bathroom," I said. "I wanted to tell you at the right moment. I wanted to… surprise you."

My voice went weak.

"Surprise…"

Page looked at me, his face suddenly bright.

"I didn't want to kill you, anyway," he said. "In fact, I never planned to. I really just wanted you to feel how I felt. But now… oh, now I can't do that. I don't want to put any pressure on the baby."

He said the word baby so affectionately and loving that I almost believed it. But I knew how good of an actor he was. I wasn't buying it. But I had to make him think I was.

I let Page come close and lay a hand on my stomach. He rubbed a little circle.

"Pretty baby," he said meekly. He looked at me with love, like how when he was still Marshall to me. He pulled my close to his body in a hug. "Oh, Haleigh. Our own perfect child. I… I never thought I would be a father… and now… Oh, Haleigh!"

He pulled me even closer to his chest.

He was really happy. He really loved the baby. He would get really angry without her. He might have even killed me.

Which meant I had to get pregnant for real. _Fast._


	7. Line

I knew I was in trouble as we walked back to my house. Page kept rubbing my empty belly and I was getting paranoid. What if he wanted a baby to kick or something? But, as far as he knew, I was only a few days pregnant. How was I going to do this? I still didn't know if I could even get pregnant. Or… maybe the test was wrong and I was truly carrying a child inside me. So many questions rushed through my head and I was glad I couldn't get headaches.

"What do you want to name her?" Page asked, his eyes trained happily on mine. I looked down.

"Oh, um… I've always kind of liked Hannah," I said. "You can pick out her middle name."

"My mother's name was Andre," he said dreamily. "Hannah Andre. Isn't that pretty, Haleigh?"

"Oh, yeh," I agreed quickly. "Hannah Andre is very nice and unique."

Page stopped about ten yards away from the wooden fence of the gate. My mind rushed. What did he want? Did he know? How bad of a liar was I?

I had to think of something to say, a lie, so that I would be home free. Almost.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," I said shyly, looking away. What could I do or say? THINK! What made babies? Sex did, of course. So if I wanted to get pregnant what would I do? Have sex! For the second time that night, I had a way out.

I kicked the shrub and my feet.

"I just…"

"Yeh?" Page asked gently.

"I don't want to sound like a moron… but there is something I _want_."

"What is it?"

"I… I want, before I get huge and round, I want to… have another talk on the couch."

Page stared at me and then blinked.

"You mean…?"

I pulled him closer by his shirt collar and pressed my lips onto his. He got the gist. Page pulled me up, bridal style, into his skinny, but strong arms and took off into the house. We jumped the fence and smashed through the front door. You know what happened next.

The next morning, I woke up to Indie's pitiful mews. She still sounded like a baby kitten. I jumped up and realized I was fully clothed in my bed. Page must have dressed me. I looked out the window. The sun was blazing bright, and I listened hard for Page.

He must've been out and gone, which was okay with me. I got up and padded down stairs. I fed Indie and looked in the fridge for some water. When Dad was away, I usually just stuck to that and human food. It was just easier and safer that way. It wasn't my favorite, but it was just whatever it was.

I sucked down the water and threw the bottle into the recycling bin. Yeh, I'm a treehugger. Got anything to say about it, you can take it up with Jesus. He'll have more answers for you.

I raked a brush through my hair and walked outside. The sun felt good on my skin. It was high August, and the heat was nice for me. I walked down the road and into the square. I looked over at where Luigi's was, and I saw a tall woman with thick, wavy black hair and brown eyes was standing with Ferrari, who was setting up the pizza cart. That was his Aunt Cosma, Loretta's older sister. Loretta must have been at the hospital in northern Venice having little Fina. I smiled to myself as I dipped into the cool general store. I was in and out fast, my anxiety peaking.

I ran back home and downed another bottle of water. I drank half a bottle more, when I needed to go to the bathroom.

I did what I had the first, false time around and then set the thing in the cup of warm water. I hurried down to the kitchen and set the microwave timer for two minuets. The wait killed me and Indie decided to keep her distance. I paced all around my living room, the two minuets seeming like a millennia. I was just about to scream when the timer went off. I didn't bother to stop it, but just ran up to my bathroom. I took three even breaths and looked in the mirror, holding the little blue wand.

"You, _Page_, and a kid," I said sternly to my reflection. I looked like I understood myself. I looked down and saw this line.

A little red line.

Positive.

It meant positive.

I was pregnant for real this time.

I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or cry.

So I did both.


	8. To The North

I laughed as Hannah, her big, black curls bouncing, chased the little butterfly around the meadow. The sun shined bright and both our skin was softly glimmering. It wasn't the sparkle of vampires, more like a glow.

The meadow had become one of my favorite places to be. In fact, it had become our home, me and my daughter. It was almost always sunny, and animals were abundant. Hunting was no problem. Thick, coniferous forest surrounded us. The meadow was all thick and grassy with wild flowers growing all around us. It felt good. I could tell Hannah loved it here just as much as I did.

I frowned, thinking back to when I had given birth to her. I couldn't really remember the pain. All I remembered was one second, my belly was huge, and the next, she was in my arms. She had my eyes.

I had run away from Itali, away from Page before I had her. Her middle name wasn't Andre, either. It was Lorindie, a combination of my mother's name and Loretta's. I had had to leave my cat behind, and at first, I had really missed her. But I had a feeling she was in good hands. I had left her on Luigi's doorstep. At least… I think I had.

I stared out at Hannah, trying to push the thoughts away.

Hannah turned to look at me, a big smile on her face. I began to smile back when suddenly, her little, beautiful face fell into a mask of horror. Clouds cover up the sky, and a round of thunder racked the meadow. Hannah screamed and I ran over and snatched her up in my arms. I looked all around and then the voices started.

All of them were whispery, raspy, overlapping each other. I couldn't tell who it was; I couldn't even tell if it was male or female.

_Haleigh_

_ You can't hide_

_ Run, run, run as fast as you can…_

_ Haleigh, come back_

_ I know who you are_

I screamed. I wanted to slam my hands over my ears, but I was holding Hannah. I hunched my body around her and continued to scream as loud as I could. Then I realized something. The closer I curled myself around my child, the louder the overlapped voices became. I looked down in my arms and I was holding a bundle. Hannah was gone.

My heart took off faster than it had ever been before. I had this extremely compelling sense to peal the blanket corner. I pulled it back slowly. The sight under it made my heart stop.

It was a little newborn child.

But it had no face!

I was so scared I couldn't even scream.

Of course, it didn't matter what I could or couldn't do in the meadow, because in my bed, back in real life, I was screaming and throwing a fit. Someone's hands were on me in the dark room and I kicked and screamed louder.

"Haleigh! Haleigh, stop!"

It was Page's voice. I opened my eyes and was staring into the anxious face of my child's father. I sat up, scared and sweating. My heart was hammering at a million miles an hour. Page wrapped his arms around me and I wanted to scream at him to let go, but couldn't find my voice. I was breathing too deeply. Indie was at my door, pacing in anxiety. I pushed myself away from Page and went over to my cat. I was shaking harder than a leaf in a hurricane. I picked up my cat and looked back at Page.

It was still dark out and I didn't need as much sleep as a human, so I just decided I wasn't going to go through the nightmares again.

I had been having the same morbid dream for two weeks. I was big now, much bigger than a human would have been at this point in the pregnancy. I rubbed my stomach and tried to calm Hannah. I knew I was having a girl. There was absolutely no question about it. I was having a baby girl named Hannah Lorindie, and she was going to have black, curly hair and mine and my fathers green eyes. And I loved her more than anything else in the whole wide universe. She _was_ my universe.

"I need to eat," I said, my voice shaky. I put Indie back on the ground and headed down stairs. She followed me, as well as Page.

"I do too," Page said as I took out a pan from the cupboard. Since, I assumed Hannah was going to be a halfa like me; I had been consuming both blood and human food.

I nodded as I cracked an egg into the pan. I set it on the stove and turned it on. Page came and kissed me then zoomed out the front door. I was still shaking so I sat down in one of the chairs at the small, round wooden table. I took some deep breaths then stood up. I looked down at my bulging abdomen. I sighed and walked back upstairs.

In my room, I took a neon orange backpack and stuffed in two pairs of p.j.s, some day cloths, and countless underwear and bras. Just in case…

I took the bag back down to the kitchen and set it by the back door. I sprinkled some pepper into the pan of the eggs. Indie sat, faithful, by my feet. I rubbed her sweet head. My breathing was going down, back to normal, but I was still shaking slightly.

I had to run away. I had to get away from Page. I had to do this for Hannah; I didn't want Page anywhere near our daughter. I loved the child and couldn't stand the thought of what her life would be like with a father like Page. The guy was half-insane anyway. But I had to do it fast, and sneakily. And I couldn't leave any slip-ups. It was stressful to think about that future (I didn't even know how I was going to give birth!), but I had to think of _something_. Maybe I could go to the castle, back to Dad. But what would he say?

I shook my head, sad. I wanted to see my father. Where was he? Why had he been gone so long? Why hadn't he been around? My heart leapt. Dad couldn't be hurt or worse? No! He was the strongest vampire in the world! Not to mention the biggest by far. No, he had to be just fine. I would just have to look for him. I looked down at the bag by the door.

Mmm…

I looked over at the stove. The eggs were now burning. I snatched up a dish towel on my counter and snatched Indie up in my arms. I turned the flame as high as it would go and threw the towel on top of it. It immediately caught. I dipped grabbed my gym bag and ran out the back door.

The flames caught very quickly and within five minuets, the whole house was in flames. Everything _was_ mostly wooden. But by that time, I was already over the fence and moving at my fastest speed into the woods. It wasn't easy to run with Hannah weighing me down, but I was still going to get away. All I had to do was roundabout to the docks after putting a wide margin of space in the curve from my house and to the pier.

Indie was meowing, but I rustled her and she stopped. Then I heard the steps and yelling.

"Haleigh! I'm coming!"

That was Page. And he was coming my way! I dodged behind a tree and a black and white blur ran right past me. He must've smelled the smoke and figured out the direction it was coming from was the direction of the house. When I couldn't hear his steps anymore, I took off running.

Well, the roundabout plan wasn't going to work. He would have caught my scent and tracked me. I ran the opposite direction from the pier, knowing where I was heading. I was running in the direction of the castle. If Dad wasn't there, I knew I could just leave Indie there and he would find her and know what was up. While I would be running away to… where did I want my Hannah to be born?

I wanted to have her in a meadow, like in my nightmares. But I knew Page would find me too easily. I needed to go somewhere cold, where any scent would be hard to track. Norway was plenty freezing.

Soon, I came to the wall around the garden. I listened hard, but didn't hear anything. My time was ticking. I jumped up on the wall. I slipped down into the garden. I had to make this fast.

I held Indie up and looked into her face.

"Indie," I said. "You've been a pure good cat. I named you after my mother, and now I know I did the right thing. You are one of my best friends. I don't know if we'll ever see each other again. I wanted to say I love you, Dad will take care of you, and good luck, sweetheart."

I set her down, feeling sad, like I was saying goodbye to something more than just a cat. I jumped over the wall again and ran to the north. I was going to Norway to have my baby.

I only hoped that Page would never find me.


	9. I Lose

"I think I see a car," cried Gwen, pointing up to the sky. I laughed at the little girl.

"Star," I corrected her. I patted her white-blonde hair.

Gwen was the younger daughter of the couple I was staying with in Norway. They had a son named Taffy and the mother, Enid, was expecting a baby as well. She wasn't pregnant like I was. I was huge and close to what I expected to be my due-date. Dad had told me that my mother had been pregnant with me for a mere month. I had conceived August 28th or 29th. It was September 19th and so it was getting close.

I hugged my tummy. I had been teaching Gwen bits and pieces of English, and she was getting good at what I had taught her, but her accent was still thick. Taffy was better with his accent control, but he was twelve and Gwen was only eight.

Even though it was only September, snow blanketed the ground of the road we were strolling on.

I had had to do some lying to the family I was staying with. No way should an eighteen-year-old be pregnant. I had to convince them that the part of Itali I was from, it was the norm to be married and pregnant at my age. I told them that my husband was in Oslo, working. They thought that was okay, and I was able to stay with them. I was still made to pull my own weight, but I did and it was easy, even with my almost fully developed child.

Gwen skipped ahead, and her very blonde waves bounced. Gwen was such a beautiful little girl and her brother Taffy was just as cute. Both had these pretty, unique blue-gray eyes that reminded me of a wolf's fur. Taffy had thick, orange curly hair, rather than his sister's white-blonde. Enid had the same orange, curly hair as Taffy and deep brown eyes and freckles. Her husband, Collen, had wispy light brown hair and sea foam-green eyes. Not like my eyes, which were just this pale, human green, nothing fancy or striking. He had a burn on his face from when he was a baby, right down his left cheek. His house had caught on fire and he almost died. It made me feel the power of flames, how they could really be a danger.

I sighed as we walked home.

I was dead tired, and maybe it was the baby, but I said a goodnight to Gwen and Taffy and went to bed.

I figured I had been asleep for a long time when I woke up in this sudden start. I sat right up and clutched my stomach. Something was happening. And it was coming fast and furious, and there was no stopping it. There was a pressure hitting up my lower stomach. I yanked my night-shirt up and looked down. My stomach flexed and I knew the baby was coming. I had to get out of there.

I got up and gracefully moved out the door. I looked at the clock and it was 2 a.m. September 20th. I dodged out the door. I looked to my left, than to my right. I decided I would need to be far, far away from the village where I was. I hurried to the back of the house. The back yard was barren, rolling hills dotted slightly with fir trees. It was perfect.

I stumbled into the hills and tried to get as far away from the house as I could. I was running, even though I knew that was a horrible thing to do. I knew it wouldn't really affect my baby, but still.

I got far enough to where I couldn't smell the scents of the village anymore. I was stuck in the barren wastelands of the wilderness of Norway.

I should have grabbed that knife. _Dad_ had given it to me. Some people had a piece of jewelry from their father, some had a bible. I had a knife. And now I had nothing.

I suddenly dropped down to my knees. Whatever this birth was going to go like, it was going down right where I fell. I sat down and leaned on my back. I shimmied off my silky sleep-pants, and shrugged my underwear down to my ankles. I didn't expect this to go to like any kind of normal birth for a human.

The valley I had collapsed in was covered in snow, like the rest of Norway. Only tall thick fir trees dotted the hills. The velvet night sky twinkled clear with stars and the full moon.

Pain was coming in horrible waves now, and I was forced to lie down flat on my back. A contraction, actually, more like Hannah flexing and stretching, racked my body and I let out a scream. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it. I let out another scream as another pain took over. She was going to be in my arms in a matter of seconds.

As I let out another scream of pain, I realized I did have something from my father: his green eyes. And Hanna would, too. So soon…

That was when I heard the ripping noise.

It hurt so bad that I couldn't even scream. I was blacking out, tunnel vision taking over. Black was covering my vision and I was seeing little fireworks and specks of color and lights. My head was so dizzy that I couldn't even sit up. I was staring up.

No!

This was not how things were supposed to go! I was supposed to be giving birth to Hannah during the day, in a cool green meadow dotted with colorful wildflowers in the middle of a forest.

I felt another rip and my own blood gushing and I tried not to vomit. I couldn't focus on what anything was supposed to be in my mind. Point was: It wasn't going to happen, and I had to think all about the here and now. I heard another rip and then a shout.

It wasn't my shout. I tried to look around but found I couldn't even move my head from side to side. I heard another shout, from a new person this time. But I really wasn't thinking about that or who it was because everything seemed to sit still and I was caught in some black space and the only thing I could see was the glaring moon. In the same second I was back and staring into the deep blue eyes of my mother. I tried to say her name, but couldn't form the words. I wanted to reach out and touch her face.

I noticed something else: There was no pain anymore. I wondered if I was dead. I hoped I wasn't: who was going to take care of Hannah and keep her safe from her father? No, I couldn't be dead. My vision was vaguely coming back to me. But it was weird.

It was like I was floating away from my own body, like I was flying lowly above it. I looked down at them. I saw two vampires at my side. One had long, straight, flowing white-blonde hair, even blonder than Gwen's. The other had the same color hair but it was short, yet just as straight. It must have been a male. They were pulling something from my mangled body. I suddenly couldn't see my mother's eyes anymore.

No! I wanted my mother! But I couldn't move to get her back. I wanted to cry out, for both her and my baby. I had no control over any of my actions, however.

The two vampires were now picking up my body, but I couldn't feel anything. I looked on, clawing with my mind not to sink into the black that was slowly taking over. Eventually I lost and fell into a deep sea of nothing.


	10. A Leaf falling from a Tree

Images, memories I think, swirled around in my unconscious. My mother's ocean eyes, the two extremely pale figures that had to vampires picking apart my already mangled body. I was vaguely aware that I was awake now, but I couldn't move, speak, or even form thoughts really. I could only form simple images that were rather recent. The only one that was "old" was the picture of Page's face. I could almost hear his footsteps running by me while I had hidden in the trees the night I ran away. Something moved me.

No, I had just shuddered. At least, I thought that was it. I was right because I heard someone say in heavily accented English, "I think she's coming around, Father. Go get her child."

"I will be back. Explain to her everything, Bayolina," said a deep man's voice. I heard him zoom out of where ever I was.

I realized that I was lying down, and I could feel something covering me. My abdomen felt very sore and even though I had the sudden desire to sit up, I resisted. I couldn't even open my eyes. I wasn't as panicked as I should have been. After all, I had no idea who anyone was and it was evident they had pumped me with some kid of sedative. But they had also saved my life, if I was still alive after giving such a treacherous birth. This meant they had also saved my baby's life…

My Baby!

That thought made me force my eyes open. The first thing I saw was the vampire with the long, straight, white-blonde hair. Only, she wasn't a vampire. She couldn't have been. She had these, light, hazelnut brown eyes and cheeks that flamed like mine did. Her skin was a perfect, pale canvas. She was a hybrid, like I was.

Her face was fierce and beautiful, but her eyes were soft. She wasn't smiling, but that was okay because she was warm and I knew I could trust her. She brushed a lock of dirty-blonde hair from my forehead gingerly.

I looked around the room and I was in a stony room with bare walls and a single dresser vanity on the side. The bed I was lying in was facing a thick, wooden door.

"My name is Bayolina," she said. "I am named after my father's mother. I was born to him, as a vampire, and the woman he loved. My mother's name was Charmesa..."

"Did you kill your mother like I did?" I blurted out, my voice sounding like I had a cold. Bayolina sighed sadly.

"I did. You know what I am. We are the same thing. And the child you gave birth to is the same as we are."

"Where…where is she?" I asked groggily. I tried to sit up but Bayolina gently pushed me back down. Even if she hadn't, I would have gone down in a second because of the pain that flashed up my sides.

"My father, Verschacci, is getting him," Bayolina said. "He is a happy, healthy child."

"Verschacci?"

(It's pronounced Ver-sa-chi)

Bayolina nodded. "That is his name, my dear. Your son will be here soon."

I felt a shock at the word son. But I decided it didn't matter if I had boy or girl. But I couldn't call a boy Hannah. I was racing through boy names in my mind, when a relatively short vampire with red eyes and the same white-blonde hair as Bayolina came in. But I wasn't focusing on him. I was staring at the smiling, deep blue-eyed boy in his arms. He was bright as the sun, with thick, curly black hair. He was heart-breakingly the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. He had my curly hair, but his father's color. He had my mother's eyes. I loved him so much that it scared me.

He laughed as he saw me and I teared up. I didn't bother with whipping them away. Verschacci handed him to me and he fit perfectly in my arms. It was like they were put on my body simply to hold him and nothing else.

He was just as hot as I was. He smiled up at me. It must have been his eyes I had seen when I was dwindling in that between space of black and consciousness. He let out another giggle and I pressed him to me.

"He knows who I am," I whispered. Bayolina and Verschacci both laughed.

"Of course he does," Bayolina said in her heavy accent. "His first memory is of your face."

I looked at her, confused.

"How do you know that is his first memory?" I asked.

"The boy has quite a little gift there," Verschacci laughed. "He can show you, I bet."

"Can you?" I asked my little boy. He nodded, his curls bouncing. Bayolina touched my shoulder.

"Look into his eyes," she murmured.

I did as I was told and looked into his blue eyes. At first, I didn't see anything, but as I looked on, I noticed something in his eyes moving. His irises were getting smaller, turning black, his pupil taking over. I was entranced. Looking on, I saw that a little thing was reflecting in his eyes. It was me, I think. My eyes, with wisps of dirty-blonde hair in their way. It must have been his first memory of me. My eyes were much unfocused and the pale green irises were almost gone due to my pupils going huge. Then the edges of the memory began to fray blue. I wasn't looking at my son's gift anymore, but his eyes, my mother's eyes.

He was smiling triumphantly.

"You know who I am," I whispered. He nodded vigorously. Bayolina and her father laughed.

"Yes," said Verschacci, "but he does not know who _he_ is."

"I do need to name him," I mused.

I hadn't planned on a boy. What a stupid mistake. I only had Hannah picked out and that wasn't going to be good for a boy.

I thought. I knew a couple of boy names from different languages.

Cunnawabum was Native American for The One that Looks at the Stars, which I just thought was beautiful. I liked Loren, which meant Literate. I think that one was English. I looked down at my child. I didn't want to give him a meaningless name…

And I loved him more than anything I had ever had. Love…

Nalo.

Nalo meant Lovable in African.

"Nalo," I said quietly. He looked up and me and laughed. I laughed with him. "You like that name?"

Bayolina smiled.

We only stayed with Bayolina and her father in Denmark for a while. They wanted to stay with me, but I didn't want my father to find them. He did work for a man who had definitely had enough time on earth to o insane. I didn't want Bayolina falling to his measures. I also didn't want her father questioned. I was sure he had enough on his plate. They came as far as Switzerland with me and Nalo.

When we went our separate ways, I decided that I wanted to live away from people. I would have to hunt animals, but how hard could that be? Well, catching them was a breeze. It was consuming them that were the hard part.

The blood was much bitterer than and not as thick as human. I wanted nothing more than to provide the best for Nalo, but honestly, how many more meager meals could he take?

I guess a lot, because he not only thrived on them, but accepted each one with exuberance. For me, it was hard to accommodate to the new source of food. I had always had suffrage to my meals, and now it was the opposite.

But that was just one weird thing about Nalo. We took to sleeping in a clearing in the woods that resembled a meadow. Wild flowers grew and the grass was thick, although it would be Winter soon. But Nalo didn't seem to notice. He was so innocent. He laughed at things that no one else would laugh at. A flower swaying in the breeze, a butterfly fluttering, a leaf falling from a tree. Things just worked like that for him. It made me happy to see him like that.

Another strange thing was that I thought of Page frequently. I had a never ceasing fear that he would find us somehow, that he would try to hurt Nalo or me. I would never let him near my baby, not even over my dead body. I hoped fervently that he would never come back. His life was consumed with the pain of the loss of Marshall. I was pained by the loss, too. My best friend was killed by a vampire and now I hated and had a child with his brother, who was half-insane. I really and truly wished it had in fact been Marshall. Maybe… Maybe if Marshall had lived, if that vampire hadn't killed him, that crazy South American vampire who had changed Page, Juanita,… maybe she would have changed Marshall instead. And maybe Marshall would be with me, and Nalo would be his, and it would be the tree of us together and happy and good…

But it just wasn't going to be like that. Marshall was dead, and Page was Nalo's father, and it had been my choice to make it that way. We stayed in Switzerland for a while, enjoying the pleasant country. But then I started to miss my father and my cat. I had a feeling Indie had been found by the right person. But that meant Dad also had no idea what happened to me.

I frowned.

"Nalo," I called out. "Come here."

Nalo turned from the butterfly he was staring at and ran over to me. I held him in my arms tightly and leaned to kiss his cheeks.

"Nalo, we need to go home," I said to him. He looked at me, not understanding. Of course, the child was only about two weeks old, so I hadn't yet told him about my own history or Dad's or about Page. I would need to someday, but not today.

"This isn't our home, Nalo," I said gently. "Home is all the way in a different country, and we need to go there."

"Where?"

I looked at him. The little, sweet voice had clearly come from him. It was definitely Nalo who had spoken. His first word…

But he was waiting for an answer. I cleared my throat.

"It is in Itali," I said. "I was born there, and my father, your grandfather, was born there, too. Oh, Nalo, you will love Itali. I'll show you Grandfather's castle and my cat."

Nalo's eyes were now bright, excited. He bounced in my arms and cried out, "I want to go!"

I giggled and poked his nose.

"We will go soon," I said. Then I heard a snap of a twig behind me. I bolted up and looked back. "Or maybe now…"

I took off running.

Itali and Switzerland were right next-door to each other, so it only took about four or five hours to reach the boarder. It took a few hours more to reach Volterra, on the coast. I didn't even bother to go near the remains of my scorched house, and all my other clothing had been left with the family back in Norway. I went right to the castle.

The moon was shining bright and proud as we neared the wall of the garden. I hopped right over it and immediately knew something was wrong. I looked all around then heard a yowl.

I looked over by this thick rose bush and saw something moving in it. Nalo looked on with me in curiosity.

"Indie?" I called out. A small figure darted out of the bush and jumped up at me. Nalo jumped onto my back and my cat landed with ease in my pale arms. She purred and nudged me with her head. I started to tear up. I nuzzled her soft fur to my face.

"Oh, baby," I whispered. "I've missed you so much."

Nalo peeked over my shoulder.

"Mam?" he said. "What _is_ that?"

"This is a cat," I said as he moved to touch Indie's head. She sniffed his fingers then rubbed them affectionately. "Her name is Indie. I named her after my mother, your grandmother. She died when I… when I was just a baby."

"She's pretty, Mam," Nalo said, crawling to touch her again. I nodded. I hooked Nalo in one arm and he held Indie on him. I walked over to the side of the castle, where a wooden door was. I opened it slowly, just in case. I walked in, the place dark. I shut the door behind me. I was tempted to call out to my father, but I couldn't hear anything. My best bet was that nobody was home. I walked slowly and slinky down the hall way, holding Nalo and my cat tight. I was ever tentative, alert to any shadow or sound. No way was I going to let anything touch my babies. _Ever. _

I looked down the other hall way to my right.

Something was so wrong. Dad would have found me by now, or I would've been heard.

"Dad!" I called in a loud whisper. "Dad!"

"Granddad!" Nalo called out. "Granddad!"

He wasn't there. In fact, no one was.

Then where the hell were they?


End file.
